Truth in Focus | Community & Government | Prepared October 25, 2026 for publication October 26
By Steven Bullcoming Haworth
Another weekend, another clock adjustment. This Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 a.m., most Americans will move clocks back one hour to 1:00 a.m. In Montana, that means a return to Mountain Standard Time. It’s the familiar fall ritual—but why do we still do it?
What actually changes?
Changing the clock does not add or subtract a minute of sunlight. It changes when daylight falls on the clock: standard time generally means earlier sunrises and earlier sunsets compared with daylight saving time. Many phones update automatically, while older clocks, appliances and vehicle displays may need a manual adjustment. The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology confirms this year’s change occurs November 1. Source: NIST Daylight Saving Time Rules.
Why was daylight saving time adopted?
The idea was promoted as a way to align waking hours with available daylight and potentially save energy. The United States first enacted daylight saving time nationally in 1918. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 later established consistent nationwide rules, with exceptions. Today’s longer daylight-saving season was set by a 2005 federal law and has been in place since 2007. Contrary to an enduring myth, daylight saving time was not introduced to help farmers; agricultural schedules were often disrupted by the clock change. Sources: NIST and U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Didn’t Montana already vote to stop changing clocks?
Montana enacted a measure in 2021 permitting year-round Mountain Daylight Time if specific federal and regional conditions are met. Those conditions are not currently satisfied, so Montanans still change clocks. This is an important difference between passing conditional state legislation and actually changing what time the state observes. The National Conference of State Legislatures counts Montana among 19 states that have enacted conditional permanent-daylight-time legislation since 2018. Source: NCSL state legislation tracker.
Federal law currently lets states choose permanent standard time by opting out of daylight saving time, but it does not authorize them to choose permanent daylight saving time on their own. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not make the seasonal change; the Navajo Nation is an exception within Arizona. Several U.S. territories also do not observe daylight saving time. Source: U.S. Department of Transportation.
Why is the debate still alive?
Supporters of year-round daylight saving time favor having more usable daylight after traditional working hours. Supporters of year-round standard time favor brighter winter mornings and closer alignment with human sleep-wake rhythms. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has argued for permanent standard time on health and safety grounds. Research on the economic and energy effects remains part of the policy debate. Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement, 2024.
What should Montana do?
Steven’s Corner: My two cents on changing the clocks
By Steven Bullcoming Haworth | Personal perspective
I’ll put my two cents on the table: I think it’s time to seriously reconsider changing our clocks twice a year. The country had reasons for adopting daylight saving time generations ago, but we’re living in the twenty-first century. Our work schedules, communications, lighting, and technologies have changed. For many working families, an extra hour of daylight on the clock in the evening could mean more time outside, more convenient errands, and a little more daylight after work. The sun doesn’t stay up longer just because we move the clock, of course—we’re debating which part of the day receives that daylight.
One thing I’d like readers to question is the familiar claim that we change the clocks for farmers. That’s a myth: farmers historically objected to daylight saving time because livestock, harvests, and chores run on daylight rather than an artificial schedule. Arizona offers a practical example of a state that largely avoids the twice-yearly change, although it observes permanent standard time, not permanent daylight saving time, and the Navajo Nation follows a different schedule.
I’m not suggesting there’s only one answer. Permanent daylight saving time offers brighter evenings but darker winter mornings. Permanent standard time brings earlier morning light and is preferred by major sleep-medicine organizations. Those trade-offs matter for schoolchildren, shift workers, rural drivers, and everybody crossing a long stretch of Montana highway before sunrise. My preference is to consider ending the back-and-forth and have an informed debate about which permanent clock makes sense—rather than preserving a custom simply because it’s familiar.
Related reading: Library of Congress: Who Invented Daylight Saving Time?; U.S. Department of Transportation: Uniform Time.
In communities across eastern Montana, a clock change affects school mornings, ranch chores, medical appointments, commutes and evening activities. The question isn’t merely whether to stop changing clocks. It’s which permanent time would work best—and what trade-offs we’re willing to accept.
Do you prefer permanent Standard Time, permanent Daylight Saving Time, or keeping the twice-yearly change? Tell us why, especially if you live, work, ranch or travel in rural Montana.
Additional reading: The Old Farmer’s Almanac — Daylight Saving Time Ends 2026. This is an independently written Truth in Focus explainer; the cited publications are sources rather than authors of this report.
© 2026 Steven Bullcoming Haworth. All rights reserved.